Red Sox Notes: Alex Cora ‘Proud’ After Boston Snaps Losing Skid

The Boston Red Sox entered their Friday night matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays needing a win.

They got one in their series opener at Rogers Centre, snapping a five-game losing streak by putting all of the pieces to the puzzle together. The Red Sox scored five runs on nine hits, giving James Paxton some breathing room during what very well could be his best outing in four years.

“I believe tonight was his best (start),” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “You can see by the feedback of the opposition. The check swings, late on the fastballs, his slider/cutter thing was really good. He was under control.

“He worked hard during the week to be able to make this start and it paid off.”

Paxton had to leave his previous start against the Chicago White Sox early, as a sore knee necessitated a precautionary exit after just four innings. That didn’t stop Cora from allowing the 34-year-old to throw 110 pitches on his way to 7 2/3 innings worth of scoreless work. Why? Paxton has built trust in the Red Sox, and vice-versa.

“He’s very honest about it. Throughout the whole process, the rehab, he was honest with us,” Cora said. “I don’t think he’s going to take a chance with everything that has happened over the last few years. When he says he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. He did an amazing job. We’re very proud of him.”

Here are more notes from Friday’s Red Sox-Blue Jays game:

— The Red Sox just can’t seem to lose to the Blue Jays, pushing their record to 5-0 against Toronto in 2023. The 5-0 verdict was their first shutout victory of the season.

— If you’re wondering why Boston has played so well against Toronto this year, look no further than Masataka Yoshida. The 29-year-old rookie has gone 12-for-21 in five games against the Blue Jays, belting three home runs and two doubles — driving in nine runs without striking out.

— Justin Turner’s fifth-inning home run gave the Red Sox their first lead in 38 innings. His approach to the at-bat drew praise from Cora.

“His first two at-bats were amazing,” Cora said. “Just fouling off pitches, getting to 3-2, it’s just what he does. Where we’re at offensively right now, we needed that.”

— Paxton’s final start of June was representative of how good he was over the course of the month. The Canada native went 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in five starts, striking out 34 batters and walking just six in 31 innings pitched, per Red Sox statistician J.P. Long.

— The Red Sox and Blue Jays will continue their three-game set Saturday at Rogers Centre. First pitch on Canada Day is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.